The Senate-passed immigration bill, which has been blocked by the House, would increase H-1B visas for skilled workers from 65,000 a year to at least 115,000, and possibly as many as 300,000.

The proposed rule published by the Department of Homeland Security, according to the White House, “would — for the first time — allow work authorization for the spouses of H-1B workers who have begun the process of applying for a green card through their employers. Once enacted, this proposed rule would empower these spouses to put their own education and skills to work for the country that they and their families now call home.”

Currently, spouses of H-1B visa holders are not allowed to work unless they obtain their own visa. Supporters of the rule change argue that it will bring in more talented workers.

The administration also proposed another rule to “make it easier for outstanding professors and researchers in other countries to demonstrate their eligibility for the EB-1 visa, a type of green card reserved for the world’s best and brightest.”

The White House said that “just as great athletes and performers are already able to provide a range of evidence to support their petition for an EB-1, professors and researchers would be able to present diverse achievements such as groundbreaking patents or prestigious scientific grants.”

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, praised the move: “If we want to attract the best and brightest minds to come to the U.S. and help grow our innovation economy then it makes sense to also welcome the talents of their spouses. Often times, I meet the spouse of an engineer in Silicon Valley who is also educated but not allowed to fully contribute his or her talents, which sometimes leads the couple to leave the U.S. altogether.”

The H-1B plan immediately drew fire from Republicans. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who sits on the Judiciary Committee, accused the administration of acting unilaterally to change immigration law and bring tens of thousands of potential competitors with Americans for jobs.

“Fifty million working-age Americans aren’t working,” Sessions said in a statement, adding that as many as “half of new technology jobs may be going to guest workers. … This will help corporations by further flooding a slack labor market, pulling down wages.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, a longtime critic of H-1B visas, said on the Senate floor that the administration confirmed that 97,000 new workers could be admitted in the first year under the rule change.

H-1B visas are capped at 65,000 a year, plus 20,000 for those holding advanced degrees. The 2015 cap was reached last month.